Using Element as art guidance requires in-depth understanding of its design system and flexible customization. 1. First, master the design language of Element, including color, font, spacing and other specifications, as the basis for visual decision-making; 2. Unify the overall style by customizing theme variables (such as main color, rounded corners, margins) and fit the product positioning; 3. Overlay personalized visual packaging on the basis of components, such as background, animation, and icon replacement, to enhance uniqueness; 4. Formulate component usage specifications to ensure consistent styles in team collaboration, and unify the art direction visually and logically.

To put it bluntly, using Element as Art Direction is not something that can be done by just the components it comes with. Element is a UI framework, the core is to help you quickly build the interface, but if you can flexibly use its design system and style mechanism, it can actually help you to unify your visual style and even affect the overall art direction.

1. Understand the design language of Element

Element officially has a complete set of Design Guides , including colors, fonts, spacing, button styles, etc. These are not casually determined, and there is a clear design logic behind them. If you want to use Element to assist in the art direction, the first step is to "understand" this set of specifications.

• Color system : Element provides a complete set of theme color variables, such as main tone, success/warning/error status color, etc. You can formulate your brand tone based on these colors.
• Font typesetting : The default font size, line height, and title level are all considered, which are suitable for mid- and back-end products. If you are going to do creative projects, you may need to fine-tune these values.
• Component spacing and rounded corners : The margin/padding between components and the rounded corners of buttons/cards will all affect the overall visual experience. For example, small rounded corners appear capable, while large rounded corners are more friendly.

Suggestion: Print out the Element design document and paste it on the work station, or make it into a reference manual so that you will not go off the line when making visual decisions.

2. Customize the theme to unify the visual style

Element supports customizing themes through SCSS variables or online tools. This is one of the key means you use to control the direction of art.

You can start from the following aspects:

• Overwrite the main color ( $--color-primary ) to keep the buttons, links, icons, etc. of the entire system consistent
• Modify the rounded corners of the component ( $--border-radius-base ) to adjust whether the overall style is modern or traditional
• Control component margins and inner margins to determine whether the page is compact or has more white space

For example: If your product is a younger and lively social product, you can change the main color to a more jumpy color, such as orange and purple; at the same time, increase the padding and rounded corners of the button to make the interactive area look more friendly.

Tips: Use element-theme tool to generate theme files in batches, integrate them into the project with Webpack or Vite, and automatically update the entire site after modification.

3. Personalized packaging is made with visual layer

Although the Element component is practical, it is easy to use it directly to "standard". At this time, you need to add a layer of visual packaging to make it conform to the artistic tone of your project.

Common practices include:

• Wrap a layer of your own class outside the Element component, adding visual elements such as gradient background, shadows, and animation effects.
• Replace the icon library without using the default SVG icon of Element, and replace it with the iconfont or Lottie animation exclusive to your project.
• Interactive components such as dialog boxes, notifications, load status, etc., you can replace the default style with plug-ins or custom components.

For example, an e-commerce backend project may add card-style decoration and add hover effects to the table component of Element to make the data display more layered.

4. Establish component usage specifications to avoid confusion in style

Art direction is not just a visual aspect, but also how to use components. If you allow team members to combine Element components at will, the final interface may be inconsistent.

We recommend that you develop a lightweight component usage guide , including:

• Which components can be used in what scenarios
• How to select buttons in different states (primary / default / text)
• Which form layout is recommended (vertical/horizontal)
• How to organize the content structure of pop-up windows

This is actually a reflection of the "art direction" - it determines whether the user sees not only the color shape, but also whether the information presentation method is unified and professional.

Basically that's it. Element itself is not created for creative design, but it provides a stable starting point. As long as you understand its underlying logic and are willing to superimpose your own visual language on it, it can completely become a part of your art direction.

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